The Borders and bookstore Wal-Mart analogies might make sense if it weren't for the fact that their competitors are selling the exact same products that they are.  I can buy the same book at Barnes and Noble as I can at Borders, so of course they won't advertise for each other.

However, your so called competitors are selling things that we can't buy here!  So, the product showcase provided a valuable SERVICE to your customers by giving us a "one stop shop" to find things available here as well as things that ABSOLUTELY CAN'T be purchased here (99% of the time anyway).  This is analogous to stores that have a bulletin board up near the front where businesses can put their cards or flyers advertising their products or services that are somehow related to the products you might purchase in that store.  By allowing this, these stores are providing a FREE SERVICE to their customers which fosters good will.  I frequent stores that do this more often since I can find other things I'm looking for without walking all around the city.

And if you are thinking in terms of me spending money elsewhere rather than here, that is simply ridiculous.  Either a product here meets my needs or it doesn't.  Same for the other vendors.  Since the products aren't the same, you aren't losing anything from me if I buy something from another store.  Sure, I might not buy something immediately if I spent my money for the week somewhere else, but your product will go into my wishlist and get purchased eventually if I really want it.

And to top it off, even in that 1% of cases where a product is available in more than one store, you guys take credit cards while most other vendors only accept PayPal, so you win by default with many of us who hate PayPal.

PLEASE rethink this policy.  I really came to rely on the Product Showcase forum and what I see in there now is just depressing - hardly any new posts in several weeks.  Why bother?